en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:01:44 GMT 15 By Brett Farrow
Starting with the class of 2012, the state will begin its efforts to phase out the TAKS tests and replace them with exams that will come at the end of certain required English, math, science and social studies classes. “For the most part, there won’t be much difference between TAKS and end-of-course exams,” Science Department Head Denise Shupe said. “There will be higher level questions though. Instead of Physics and Chemistry questions coming from Integrated Physics and Chemistry (IPC), the exams will cover material from the high school classes.” In addition to the more difficult questions, students will need to score 60 percent on an end-of-course test to avoid retaking the exam until they meet the standard. In order to graduate, students must average 70 percent over the three tests from the particular subject area. “With TAKS, juniors would be tested over the biology material they learned freshman year,” Ms. Shupe said. “In the future, they will have an even better chance to pass since the information will be fresher in their minds.” But students won’t be the only ones to benefit from the test changes. “Previously, students would get tested every year over what they learned the year before,” Math Department Head Melinda Crook said. “With end-of-course testing, the school will get a better gage of what they learned in that class.” Despite the more specific questions, the scores for the new exams may be higher than those on TAKS because of their influence on the final grades of courses. “There’s more incentive to pass now,” Physics Teacher Jeff Chandler said. “The end-of-course exam will count for 15 percent of that class’s final grade, so if students fail the test, they might not pass the class.” Even though many changes outlined in the bill, much work remains before the details of end-of-course exams are finalized and the tests are put into use. “A lot of things about the tests are still up in the air,” Assistant Principal Brandy Schneider said. “The state decided on what it wanted, so the task is now developing and implementing it.” ]]> Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:01:00 GMT